Restarting the RSM 130D - FW Start Page 9

[Ratvan]

Photos you say?

 

 

 

Needs a clean maybe a new lick of paint on the stand.

 

Playing with rocks now 😂

[Ratvan]

So i was bored in the office today, and since no one turned up for the RSM i did a thing.

 

Might see if i can find any cheap rock, if not will most likely stay as freshwater 

[debbeach13]

11 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

So i was bored in the office today

This can be dangerous. I am glad to hear you have returned to the office. Has the lock down been lifted or did you sneak in.

[Ratvan]

13 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

This can be dangerous. I am glad to hear you have returned to the office. Has the lock down been lifted or did you sneak in.

Well in theory i can argue that I cant work from home, but its pretty much dont take the piss type of deal 

But still in full lockdown

[Proxo]

This has given me too many idea's, boredom is dangerous 😄

 

[Ratvan]

17 minutes ago, Proxo said:

This has given me too many idea's, boredom is dangerous 😄

 

if only i wasnt an hour and a half from the nearest beach (Skegness 🤢)

[Ratvan]

So had this set up and cycling over the weekend, I loaded it with filter media from an established freshwater tank and a bottle of FW bacteria on Friday before I left. The water is clear and the bogwood is starting to put out its typical bacteria. On the lookout for some cheap plants and pebbles for this and keeping it freshwater

 

Most of the plants here seem to be teaming with Malaysian Trumpet Snails so I may as well start making the snail traps

Bog wood fuzz

[Ratvan]

Not really done a whole load to this, but set up the Inkbird Controller this morning. 

 

 

Test kits are showing that my cycle is approaching completion so looking for some plants to put in here, thinking just a few large ones in the background 

[Ratvan]

the "house brick" will come out once the wood has had a proper soaking and no longer tries to float. I've been to the LFS today (practically nothing marine unless i have a large enough tank for puffers, triggers and the typical clownfish at crazy prices and no corals apart from mushrooms at crazy prices) but have noticed that most if not all of the plants are completely infested with Malysian Trumpet snails, so looks like my first purchases will likely be some assassin snails.

 

 

[Ratvan]

Morning, so the house brick has been removed now and have had a small reshuffle of the hardscape in the tank. Going for an offset single tree trunk/flooded basin look to the tank.

I plan on heavily planting the rear of the tank with slow growing high plants (will also disguise the temperature probe) such as Echinodurs Sp, might have some smaller mid ground plants such as Staurogyne Repens and Java Fern in amongst the rocks and roots to disguise some caves. Currently debating whether or not i want to have floating plants in here with my weir  

[ａｗａｋｅｄॢ]

It looks like a tanning totem man leaning against rocks n sitting on the sand with legs crossed at the beach. 🤪

Is it intended?! 🤔

n it would look better if the head of man was located toward the sump inlet,,,just my thinking~🙃

 

[Ratvan]

1 hour ago, ａｗａｋｅｄॢ said:

It looks like a tanning totem man leaning against rocks n sitting on the sand with legs crossed at the beach. 🤪

Is it intended?! 🤔

n It would look better if the head was located toward the sump inlet,,, jist my thinking~🙃

 

I cant unsee that now, was definately not intended as such. 

 

I see what you mean about the positioning but the vision should become clearer once I plant it out slightly, Also working on one more piece of wood which will block out the weir section and would allow me to have a a series of smaller plants running in the opposite direction to the current hardscape.

 

I will try and draw up (on paint) my idea for the tank

 

Edit or even an inspiration picture 

 

 

[Murphs_Reef]

6 hours ago, ａｗａｋｅｄॢ said:

It looks like a tanning totem man leaning against rocks n sitting on the sand with legs crossed at the beach. 🤪

Is it intended?! 🤔

n it would look better if the head of man was located toward the sump inlet,,,just my thinking~🙃

 

I laugh at just about every post you make 🤣

[kimberbee]

7 hours ago, ａｗａｋｅｄॢ said:

It looks like a tanning totem man leaning against rocks n sitting on the sand with legs crossed at the beach. 🤪

 

Ah, so I'm not the only one who saw him chillin there. 😅

[Ratvan]

Well typically i forgot it was bank holiday yesterday so the planting was slightly delayed. Wasnt a great deal of choice at the LFS so picked up some Water Wisteria and Some Amazon Sword plants that will hopefully grow in and expand in the bunches slightly. Will continue to look for some Java Fern and Maybe some moss too to go on the last remaining piece of bogwood

[debbeach13]

That looks awesome I really like it.

[Ratvan]

Well this thing is ticking along nicely, currently the plants are going through the typical melt that happens when you transfer an emergent plant to fully aquatic. Also have an abundance of baby snails

[Ratvan]

Picked up some more plants today a bunch of Vallisneria Spiralis which looks like i'll be able to propagate into further plants shortly, also a massive Anubias that I have split into 3 seperate but still large plants, it is also entering glare season, so i apologise about that

 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

2 hours ago, Ratvan said:

Picked up some more plants today a bunch of Vallisneria Spiralis which looks like i'll be able to propagate into further plants shortly, also a massive Anubias that I have split into 3 seperate but still large plants, it is also entering glare season, so i apologise about that

 

I like that!! Looks really good 👍

[Ratvan]

7 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

I like that!! Looks really good 👍

thanks man, its nice to have some light and life in the office again 

 

Still debating on the fish choices at the moment

[DevilDuck]

Looking great!

I'd add a pop of color in there with a nice cypt wendii brown or flamingo or other plant with some red in it. 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

1 hour ago, Ratvan said:

thanks man, its nice to have some light and life in the office again 

 

Still debating on the fish choices at the moment

You thinking little peaceful fish or like african or south american cichlids?

[Ratvan]

15 hours ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

You thinking little peaceful fish or like african or south american cichlids?

I have a couple of different ideas to be honest, I would really like a Puffer in here so currently looking for a Congo Spotted Puffer fish or if i can figure out a spray bar see if i can get hold of some Pea Puffers. The added upside to this is that the old 5G Cube that acts as the ATO reservoir at the moment can be repurposed as a Ramshorn Snail farm for the puffers 

 

If not then a Convict Cichlid pair would look nice but i'd need more sand to keep the plants in place. 

 

And too many ideas for a community tank

 

 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

3 hours ago, Ratvan said:

I have a couple of different ideas to be honest, I would really like a Puffer in here so currently looking for a Congo Spotted Puffer fish or if i can figure out a spray bar see if i can get hold of some Pea Puffers. The added upside to this is that the old 5G Cube that acts as the ATO reservoir at the moment can be repurposed as a Ramshorn Snail farm for the puffers 

 

If not then a Convict Cichlid pair would look nice but i'd need more sand to keep the plants in place. 

 

And too many ideas for a community tank

 

 

i tried a planted tank with my cichlids and they dug up everything 😂. Convicts are really pretty though.

[Ratvan]

Couldn't get any Convicts so placed a deposit down on 6 juvie Mbuna, will use this as a bit of a grow out tank for a friend who is stocking up his 125G tank for Mbuna species